Characterisation of Nanoscale Precipitates in Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel 15Kh2MFA by Small Angle Scattering Experiments

The deterioration of the mechanical properties of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels during their irradiation in a nuclear power plant is known as neutron embrittlement. The microscopic mechanisms of the neutron embrittlement of low alloy RPV steel are not fully understood.
These mechanisms were investigated at the RPV steel of Russian and Czech type 15Kh2MFA. This steel differs from ASTM type A503 or A533 steels mainly in its contents of the carbide forming elements Cr and V. Neutron small angle scattering (SANS) using the SANS-2 facility at the FRG-1 reactor in Geesthacht and anomalous X-ray small angle scattering (ASAXS) using the JUSIFA facility at the HASYLAB in Hamburg were employed.
The difference between the scattering intensities from irradiated and unirradiated specimens give the small angle scattering effect of the radiation damages. Irradiation induced precipitates were found with a mean diameter of = 1...2 nm. The defect volume fraction is depending from the neutron fluence.
From the magnetic scattering contrast (SANS) and the anomalous scattering contrast (ASAXS) information about the chemical composition were got. This results are compared with the idea that the irradiation induced precipitates in 15Kh2MFA steel are carbides.